1. Field of the Disclosure
The present disclosure relates to an internal combustion engine having a coolant path extending along the common walls of adjacent cylinders.
2. Related Art
The ability to control internal combustion engine operating temperatures is crucially important to the promotion of long engine life and the control of exhaust emissions. As engines become increasingly more compact, more engines are, and will be, produced with so-called “siamesed” cylinders in which adjacent cylinders are located so close to one another that there is no space available for a water jacket between the adjacent cylinders. As a result, the metal temperature may greatly increase in this so-called “bridge area” of the cylinder block, which may adversely effect longevity, as well as under certain cases, fuel economy and exhaust emissions. Although it is known to provide special cooling passages, such as those produced by saw cutting, through the bridge area, such passages require additional machining operations which are costly because of increased tooling, labor, and even scrappage.
It would be desirable to provide an engine cooling system in which coolant is directed specifically to the bridge area between adjacent cylinders without the need for additional machining operations in the bridge area.